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Two Washington insiders to provide election preview in public lecture/debate at Fairfield University

One week before Election Day, two veteran political observers from Washington, D.C., will meet at Fairfield University and provide an inside look at what voters can expect when the polls close in one of the closest presidential races in recent history.

The Wednesday, Nov. 1, event at Fairfield's School of Nursing Auditorium takes place at 7:30 p.m. and features Linda Killian who wrote "The Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?" (Westview, 1999), and GOP political activist Ann Stone who has worked in over 300 political campaigns. Both have written extensively on politics for such publications as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Forbes, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

The two women are familiar faces to viewers of the nightly newscasts of all four major TV networks and to viewers of such political TV programs as CNN's "Inside Politics" and "Crossfire," CNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews, PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," ABC's "Nightline" and various shows on MSNBC News and the Fox News Channel. On a lighter note, Stone also has been interviewed by TV's Comedy Central and MTV, and she was a guest on the pilot episode of ABC's "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher.

Each speaker will handicap the upcoming presidential, Senate and House races. In addition, Killian will discuss the reasons why so many journalists seem to favor Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and feel he will make a better president. Stone will discuss why some Republicans feel GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush does not get fair treatment from the news media.

The two speakers will then engage in a free-flowing discussion with the audience and with each other.

"As Election Day approaches, these two speakers can provide some insight to help any late-deciding voters make their choice," said Dr. James Simon, who teaches Political and Government Reporting in Fairfield's English Department and will serve as moderator of the event. He said the discussion would touch on the strengths and weaknesses of both major party candidates, plus the impact of having U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-CT, on the Democratic ticket.

The event, sponsored by the university's Humanities Institute, is free and open to the public. Simon said the 180-seat hall was expected to fill to capacity and urged spectators to arrive by 7:15 p.m. to be assured of getting a seat.

Contact: Dr. James Simon, (203) 254-4000 ext. 2792

Biographical information on Linda Killian and Ann Stone

Linda Killianis a former senior editor of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and a former reporter at Forbes magazine. Killian wrote "The Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?" (Westview, 1999), a definitive look at the successes and failures of the House freshmen in 1994 who tried to help then-Speaker Newt Gingrich recast government in a more conservative light. She continues to write and also serves as director of Boston University's Washington Journalism Center. She is spending several days at Fairfield University as a scholar in residence. Killian received a bachelor's degree from Boston University with majors in political science and journalism. She received a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Ann Stone, who grew up in Stratford Conn., has worked in over 300 political campaigns. She served as a national surrogate speaker for the Bush presidential campaign in 1988, has worked with the Republican National Committee since 1993, and was a founder of Republicans for Choice, a group with which she continues to serve as chair. As a GOP fundraiser, she set records in the past for most money raised for the House and the Senate. She was named one of the top Political Action Committee leaders in the country and was chosen as one of the "74 Women Who Changed Politics in America" by Campaigns & Elections Magazine. Stone heads her own direct marketing response company, The Stone Group, Inc. She is a graduate of George Washington University, where she completed a double major in history and communications. She has done graduate work in corporate finance and management at the Wharton School of Business consortium.